Pauline Cushman was the only female officer of the Civil War.  Ms. Cushman was 30 years old when she dressed in men’s clothing and was sent deep into enemy territory, sometimes on horseback and sometimes on foot.  She was shot at, captured, labeled a spy, and sentenced to hang.  Three days prior to her execution she was rescued by Union Troops.  Born in the south, raised in Michigan with 7 brothers and a tribe of friendly Native Americans, she learned how to ride, hunt, track, and shoot better than most men.  An interesting history of a woman that many have never heard about. 

Valerie Hamill is a member of the Big Walnut Area Historical Society and has served as chair of the Rosecrans Ladies Aid Society as well as a volunteer to the fundraising efforts for the Rosecrans statue.  She is the director of the Ohio Herb Education Center in Gahanna, Ohio.  Valerie and her husband Bruce live on Valeries’s family homestead in Galena and raise chickens and enjoy gardening.

Share